Pokémon: Neon Opal Version
by A Castle of Authors
Summary: The Salintra region, named for its abundance of salt, has been home to over three hundred different species of Pokémon for millennia, but there has been no way to document these species, some of which have never been seen in other regions. That is, until now. 3 children are about to make history in this region they call home, in more ways than they realize. (Has 4 new types.)


In the southern reaches of the Salintra region, just a few miles north of the Orre region, there sat a small town with a small handful of houses. Like most of Orre and the southern half of Salintra, the town was in the middle of a desert. But unlike Orre's desert, this desert consisted of more than just sand. It also had large areas of red rock throughout the desert, and this town happened to be built on one of these mesas, surrounded by a fence to keep people from falling off the ledges, with the exception of a single opening in the fence that led to a rocky path covered in sagebrush that led to the base of the mesa.

The only prominent feature of the town was a Pokémon lab near the southern end of the town. The sign out front read: "Prof. Maple's Pokémon Lab". There were a few other signs in the town, such as one near the middle which read: "Scarletstone Town: A peaceful, quiet town with a view."

But, those signs are not our focus. Instead, our focus is on the mailbox sitting outside one of the small houses near the northern edge of town. On the side of the mailbox was the word "Turner", with something scribbled below the family's name in permanent marker: "Jason's House."

More accurately, our focus is on the second floor of the house, where there were two bedrooms. The one on the east side of the house is where our true focus is: a ten-year-old boy sleeping in a bed. As the first rays of sunlight started to penetrate the blinds, the boy groaned and rolled over in his sleep.

However, it seemed as if Arceus had it in for this particular boy, because as soon as he resumed sleeping peacefully, the alarm clock on his headboard started blaring, causing his blue eyes to snap open as he reached for the switch to turn off the alarm.

After accomplishing this task, the boy was about to pull his covers over himself again and drift back into dreamland when an older, masculine voice called up to him from the floor below: "Jason! Don't forget that you and your sister are going to Professor Maple's lab this morning!"

Suddenly, the boy—Jason—was wide-awake and got out of bed in a flash, his eyes wide.

"Don't worry, Dad!" Jason called as he started to change out of his pajamas and into some day clothes. "I won't forget!"

The truth was, Jason _had_ completely forgotten about the importance of this day until his father reminded him. But now that he remembered, Jason wasn't about to just crawl back into bed. Professor Maple had called on him and his younger sister in the past, as well as his friend Nancy who lived across the street, but the Professor seemed abnormally excited when she had last spoken to them. Something was going to be really important, and Jason didn't want to miss it.

By the time he was done getting dressed, Jason was wearing a green t-shirt, blue shorts, a white stetson, red and white sneakers, white socks, and a short-sleeved brown leather jacket. He looked himself over in the mirror, making sure all the brown hair poking out from under his hat was neat and orderly.

Once satisfied, Jason picked up his backpack, left his room, and ran downstairs to where his parents and sister were already waiting for him.

Jason wolfed down his breakfast before waving goodbye to his parents and grabbing his sister by the wrist. "Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad! C'mon, Audrey! We're gonna be late!"

The blonde girl with pigtails and a yellow dress tried to struggle out of her brother's grip, but Jason just dragged her along as he ran out of the house and saw a black-haired girl with a blue baseball cap, a red tanktop, blue shorts of her own, green sneakers, white ankle socks, and piercing green eyes. it was Nancy.

"Hey, Jason!" Nancy said with a wave before walking up to him and joining him on his short trip to Maple's lab. "You excited, too? I wonder what the Professor wants with us this time?"

"She was really excited, so I bet it's gonna be great!" Jason replied as they turned a corner, passing by a man who was marveling about some new technology made by Vision Incorporated, the region's leader of science and industry.

"Well, if you think it's gonna be great, then let's go faster!" Nancy said with a smirk. "Race you!"

Jason let go of Audrey's wrist and dashed after Nancy, the spirit of competition burning strong in him. Not only was Nancy his closest friend, but she was also his rival. They competed over almost everything, and the two were often evenly matched in both sports and mental challenges. He took every opportunity to show Nancy that he was better than her, and she did the same for him. But it was all friendly competition.

Jason caught up to Nancy as he rounded the last corner and beat her to the lab by about half a second.

"Ha!" he exclaimed, gasping for breath. "I beat you!"

"Big Brother!" Audrey's voice cried out from about a block away, "wait up! I can't run that fast!"

"Oops," Nancy giggled. "I forgot she was with us."

"Well, let's wait for her," Jason said, still panting for breath. "The Professor wanted all three of us, after all."

"You're right," Nancy replied with a nod. "We can't just show up without her."

After a few seconds, Audrey rounded the corner and ran up to them, panting heavily.

"Don't… Leave me… Behind!" Audrey half-whined, half-panted. "I'm gonna… Tell Mom and Dad!"

"Ooh, looks like you're in trouble," Nancy said with another smirk. "I don't have to keep track of my little brother, so I don't know what you're in for, but I bet your folks'll be _steamed!"_

Before Jason could even groan at the thought of how mad his parents were going to be, the glass doors to the lab slid open, revealing a redheaded woman in a lab coat who appeared to be in her late twenties.

"Kids! You made it!" the woman exclaimed, pulling the three children inside the lab. "What I have to show you today is going to be a _huge_ development for the Salintra region!"

"What kind of development, Professor Maple?" Nancy asked as the woman led them into the big room at the back of the lab.

"Oh, you'll see in just a minute!" Maple said in a sing-song voice as she motioned for the three children to take seats in three chairs at a stainless steel table. "I just have to get them for you!"

The three children waited as patiently as one could expect two ten-year-olds and an eight-year-old to, which isn't very patiently at all. They constantly shifted positions, shuffled their feet, tapped on the table, and gave several sighs of boredom before the Professor returned with a metal box and set it on the table.

Maple made a show of opening the box, opening it incredibly slowly and smiling at the three children the whole time. Once it was finally open, Maple cleared her throat and began to explain.

"Kids, many other regions have been able to catalog the various Pokémon species living in them," Maple paused to lift a smaller metal case out of the box and set it down on the table in front of them. "Salintra hasn't. At least, not until today."

The children gasped when Maple opened the case to reveal three copies of one of the most coveted items a Pokémon Trainer could possess: PokéDexes.

"I worked with Vision, Inc. to develop the Salintra region PokéDex," Maple giggled while handing a Dex to each of the three children. "They just got here this morning."

"Wait, if you're giving us PokéDexes, does that mean we're…" Nancy couldn't finish her sentence, she was so excited.

"Going to become Pokémon Trainers?" Maple finished for her. "Yepperroonie! There are three PokéBalls inside this box, and I want each of you to pick one. After that, I'll get your official Pokémon Trainer cards! So go on! Pick!"

The children stared at the PokéBalls for a while, stunned into silence, unsure of which Pokémon to pick.

"Oh for the love of Arceus!" Maple muttered before rushing to a computer and typing madly on a keyboard. After a few seconds, a display on the back wall lit up and Maple pulled out an extendable teacher's baton, pulled it to its full length, and then pointed at each of the three creatures that appeared on the screen: a green bear that walked on all fours, a red dinosaur-like creature that slightly resembled a Tyrunt made for speed instead of power, and a bipedal blue weasel-like creature.

"Okay, these are the three PokêMon in the box," Maple sighed. First, she pointed to the green bear. "This is the Grass-type, Florursine, the Leaf Bear Pokémon." Next, she pointed to the red dinosaur. "This is the Fire-type, Ashtor, the Heat Raptor Pokémon." Finally, she pointed to the blue weasel. "And this is the Water-type, Skaqua, the Rain Wolverine Pokémon. I hope that's a good enough explanation for you to make your decisions. Jason? Why don't you go first?"

Jason gulped and examined the three PokéBalls. Each one had a sticker on it dictating the Type of the Pokémon inside. After a few minutes of careful thought, he selected the one with the blue droplet sticker and pulled it out of the box. "I think I'll take Skaqua," he declared.

"Then I know which one _I_ want," Nancy said, reaching in and grabbing the Ball with the green leaf sticker. "I'll take Florursine, since Grass beats Water."

Jason huffed, but held his tongue as his little sister reached into the box and pulled out the last remaining PokéBall. "I guess that leaves me with Ashtor, then," Audrey said with a smile. "I don't care if this means my brother can beat me easily. I have my own Pokémon friend!"

"She's got a good point," Maple told the two ten-year-olds. "What's most important is that you bond with your Pokémon and befriend them. I'll get your Trainer Cards really quick. You can battle each other if you want. Just remember to use the healing machine next to the computer if your new partner gets knocked out."

"You heard the lady," Nancy chuckled. "C'mon, Jason! Battle me!"

"In a minute," Jason said as he scanned the PokéBall he was holding with his PokéDex. "I just want to get some information on my new partner first. I'm thinking of nicknaming it, and I need to know if it's a boy or a girl."

"Fine," Nancy huffed. "Make it quick, okay?"

Jason nodded, but paid more attention to his Dex's information on his new Pokémon. Skaqua was apparently a Pokémon that lived near freshwater lakes, like Lake Vision, which was nearby, and Tribal Lake near the center of the region. But most importantly, this Pokémon was a girl, so he'd have to think of something feminine to name her, meaning his original choice, "Willy" was out of the question.

"What to name you?" Jason wondered as he let her out of the Ball. "You're a girl, so—"

"Of course I'm a girl," the Skaqua cut in, turning to face him. "Did you really need that fancy doohickey to figure that out?"

"Wait, Pokémon can't talk!" Jason gasped. "I've never actually been around them, but aren't they supposed to just say their species name over and over?"

"Wait, you understood that?" the Skaqua asked, blinking in surprise. "Huh, humans aren't supposed to be able to understand us. Well, whatever. It seems we can communicate. So, what did you let me out for?"

"I was going to give you a nickname, and I was going to ask if you like it," Jason replied, getting odd looks from his friend and his sister. "How does 'Wanda' sound?"

The blue wolverine put a paw to her chin and thought for a little bit before nodding. "I like it. Now, we have my name. What's yours?"

"I'm Jason Turner," Jason said. "And sorry to say, I just got you, but we're already going to have to battle."

"Eh, I can deal," Wanda replied. "Just get me back in the Ball so we can do this properly."

"Got it," Jason said as he returned Wanda to the PokéBall. "You wanted your battle, Nancy? Well, I'm ready now!"

"Finally!" Nancy exclaimed before pulling back her arm to throw her PokéBall. "You were acting really weird! Anyway, _go!_ Florursine!"

The Ball opened to reveal the small bear from the picture.

"Huh? A battle already?" the Grass-type asked. "Well, since you're my Trainer now, I'll have to follow your lead."

Nancy didn't reply, instead waiting for Jason to make his move.

"Okay!" Jason nodded. "Go! Wanda!"

"Okay, who wants some of this?" the Water-type said before noticing her opponent. "Oh come on! A Grass-type? Holy mother of Mew! This is gonna be tough!"

"Wanda! Use Tackle!" Jason ordered.

"On it!" the Skaqua nodded before charging at her opponent.

"Counterattack with Scratch!" Nancy commanded.

"'Kay," the Florursine replied before rearing up on his hind legs and swiping at Wanda with his claws.

Wanda dodged and slammed into the bear from the side, sending him skidding across the ground, but not before he managed to get his claws to connect, causing Wanda to hiss in pain.

"Wanda! Tackle him again!" Jason encouraged. "You can do it!"

"Use Growl!" Nancy shouted.

The bear grunted as he got back to his paws, only to be slammed to the ground again by another impact from Wanda.

"Hey, you're playing mean! Be nice! Please?" the Grass-type said cutely.

"Knock it off!" Wanda snapped, putting her paws to her head and trying to block out the sound. "I can't concentrate with you yammering like that!"

"Wanda! One more Tackle!" Jason urged. "Take him out!"

"Now that's more like it!" Wanda said before ramming into the bear again. This time, there was less force behind the attack, but the bear had still taken enough of a beating to fall. He tried to rise back to his paws for another round, but slumped back to the ground, out cold.

"What?" Nancy cried in disbelief. "But I had the advantage!"

Wanda walked back over to Jason, who gave her a kind pat on the head. Wanda leaned into her Trainer's touch and hummed happily.

"Whatever, here's your prize money," Nancy groaned before giving Jason one-hundred PokéDollars. "I'll beat you next time, Jason. Just you wait."

"We'll look forward to it," Jason said before looking down at his partner. "Isn't that right?"

"The fuzzball was a lot weaker than I thought he'd be," Wanda said as she and Jason walked over to the healing machine. "But I still took a bit of a beating. But hey. If you scan me with that Dex thingy, you'll see something cool!"

Jason scanned Wanda with his PokéDex, which beeped and said, "new move. Updating Pokémon data." After a second, it beeped again and said, "update complete."

Jason looked through the data on Wanda and found that she'd just learned Water Gun. "Nice!" he said, grinning at Wanda. "A move that matches your type! That's always a good thing!"

"I can't wait to put that to use," Wanda giggled before Jason returned her to her PokéBall and set it in the healing machine. "Hey, did you know that it's really nice in here?" her voice echoed from inside the Ball.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked, provoking more odd looks from his friend and his sister.

"Didn't you know?" Wanda's voice giggled. "There's a mini-habitat in here! It simulates my own type of habitat! There's even a lake in here! According to the labcoats at Vision, Inc., this is a new feature that they invented a few years ago. All PokéBalls in Salintra are like this, now."

"Sounds pretty sweet," Jason said as he picked up the Ball from the machine. Then he finally noticed the odd looks the two girls in the room were giving him. "What?"

"You've been talking to her as if you can understand what she's saying," Nancy pointed out. "How do you even know that you're giving the right responses?"

"Easy," Jason said. "I _can_ understand her. Don't ask me how, but I can."

"Never mind that!" Audrey exclaimed. "Big Bro, now _I_ challenge you to a battle!"

"Okay, Sis," Jason said with a nod. "But Wanda leveled up from that battle, and she's got a new move."

"I don't care!" Audrey declared. "We'll still win! Ashtor and I are going to win this! Go! Ashtor!"

The small Fire-type raptor appeared in the middle of the room and held up a claw idly. "'Ey! Trainer's big bro! You gonna send out a Poke or what?"

"I was about to do that, you know," Jason told the dinosaur before throwing his own PokéBall. "Go! Wanda!"

"Hey there," Wanda said with a wave of a paw. "I hope you don't mind, but I'm about to soak you really bad."

"Wut?" the Ashtor took a step back. "Ya already got a Water move?"

"Sure do," Wanda smiled before looking back at Jason. "Just give the word, Jason."

"Sorry, Sis," Jason said before issuing his order. "Wanda! Water Gun!"

"My pleasure," Wanda said sweetly before preparing a stream of water in her mouth.

"Ashtor! Get her with a Leer!" Audrey ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!" the raptor saluted before glaring at Wanda. "Ah'm gonna bust ya up _good!"_ he taunted.

Wanda shrank a little under the Ashtor's gaze, but shook herself and unleashed the stream of water at her opponent, soaking him and knocking him back a foot.

"Now wait just one gosh-dern minute!" the Fire-type snapped. "Yer gonna pay fer that, Missy!"

"Wanda! Finish him with a Tackle!" Jason said.

"On it!" Wanda replied before charging her opponent.

"Ashtor! Scratch!" Audrey shouted.

"_Now_ Ah'm gonna gitcha!" the Fire-type sneered. "Take this!"

The Ashtor raked his claws across Wanda's stomach, causing her to cry out before impacting the small dinosaur and pinning him to the ground.

"Yer good, ya know," the Fire-type muttered as he tried to get back to his two feet and failing. "Ya got me. But Ah'll gitcha next time, Missy."

With that, he went limp, out cold, just like the Florursine from before.

"No! We tried really hard!" Audrey sniffled as she recalled her Pokémon. "Well, here's your prize money, Big Bro." Audrey reached into her pocket and fished out the same amount of money that Nancy had given Jason and handed it to him. "Don't think this is over, though. I've always been behind you and Nancy, but I'm going to become stronger than both of you by getting _more_ Pokémon friends!"

"Bravo, Jason!" Professor Maple said as she entered the room with three card cases in hand. "You beat both of them! That was really impressive!" Maple paused to hand a card case to each new Trainer before continuing. "Now, to completely fill the PokéDex, you'll need to catch wild Pokémon. I'm going to give each of you some PokéBalls to start with, and then I want you three to start on Route 1, which leads to the base of the mesa. I've already called your parents with my PokéPad and let them know, and they're fine with you leaving. They send their best wishes to each of you."

Maple handed each Trainer a bag of ten PokéBalls and finished with "now, get out there, and good luck! Don't forget to send me your data via the PC from time to time!"

"Got it, Professor!" Audrey said as the three left. "I'll fill up that PokéDex with all kinds of new friends!"

Nancy shook her head, and Jason chuckled. Audrey was right. Being a Trainer was all about making new friends, and he was going to do the same as her.

"Okay, we're off to Route 1," Jason proclaimed. "Might as well start on building a team."

The other two new Trainers dashed after him, but Jason soon left them behind. His adventure was going to be exciting, he just knew it.


End file.
